


Like Real People Do

by SweetPollyOliver



Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 09:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19104160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetPollyOliver/pseuds/SweetPollyOliver
Summary: Normal twenty (mumble) year olds went on dates and so, apparently, did Arthur now.





	Like Real People Do

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to jazzypizzaz for the beta!

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Going on a date was a normal thing normal people did and, hey, maybe even if he wasn’t as normal as all that… well, it had seemed like the thing to do anyway. 

Veranda had asked him out and he didn’t have any reason not to say yes. His reasons _for_ saying yes were maybe a little… hazy, but they existed. One: she was a nice person who liked him, two: he’d never been on a date before and at pushing thirty maybe he should break the seal on that, three… well, okay, maybe those were the only two reasons. But they weren’t _bad_. 

The date itself was fine. The food had been good and they talked about things other than paperwork and how good at it they both were. But… granted he’d never been on a date before, so maybe this was normal, but he didn’t feel… he didn’t know what to feel. Except maybe weird. 

Of course, maybe that was because the Tick was there with them. 

It had been literally impossible to convince him to stay at home.

“Fear not, chum,” he’d said, clapping his hand so vigorously on Arthur’s shoulders that his knees buckled a little. “I won’t let you walk into the jaws of the unknown by yourself.”

“I won’t be by myself,” he replied, pulling at his tie and squinting in the mirror at the unfamiliar sight of his face in contacts. “Veranda will be there.”

That had not, apparently, proven a convincing argument. When he walked out the door, his large blue shadow followed him. 

Actually, he was actually a little relieved, which he was disappointed in himself for. Adult men did not need to bring a buddy to go on dates. But he couldn’t help but feel a little lighter with the Tick walking next to him.

For his part, the Tick had spent much of the evening talking Arthur up to Veranda at a hundred and ten decibels and frowning slightly in confusion when the conversation got away from him. 

When Veranda had gotten up to go to the bathroom, Arthur wondered, idly, if she was going to make a run for it and was surprised by how his insides untwisted a little at the thought. 

“She really likes you,” Tick said confidently and they twisted right back up. 

*

She didn’t make a run for it. In fact, she held his (sweaty, clammy) hand while she walked him home afterwards. Tick had held the other one. 

They reached his doorstep and she turned to face him, letting his hand go, leaving him _mano_ in _mano_ with the Tick. 

“I had a great time tonight,” she said. “We should do this again some time.”

“Uhhh, yeah,” he replied eloquently. 

Then she leaned in and kissed him briefly on the lips. 

“Goodnight,” she said, smiling. 

Her dimples were pretty cute close up, he thought with a stomach full of ice. 

*

“So that went well,” he said around his toothbrush to the Tick who was perching on the edge of the bathtub. “She wants to do it again, so I guess that means it went well.” 

“I told you she liked you,” the Tick replied cheerfully. “She’s the one I like, definitely.”

“Oh,” Arthur said, pausing to spit out his toothpaste. “Good… that’s… that’s good. I’m glad you like her, that’s important.”

He sighed and turned around to lean against the sink. 

“I’m gonna go to bed,” he announced. “Goodnight.”

The Tick stood up and they were suddenly inches from each other. Arthur felt a flush spread across his chest and creep up his neck. The Tick reached towards him and for one moment he thought some social wires had gotten crossed here and he was going to kiss him too. But then he didn’t. Instead, his hand landed on Arthur’s soft upper arm and gave him a squeeze. 

“Sleep well, chum,” he said and walked out the bathroom door. 

Arthur slumped against the sink with his heart in his throat. He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. 

This wasn’t okay. 

*

He lay down in bed, tossed onto one side and then another in quick succession. 

Why wasn’t it okay? Really? What harm would it do if the Tick had kissed him? He would have just explained the confusion and that would have been that. They were friends and they cared about each other; they could certainly weather a little kiss. Not that they’d have to because nothing had happened.

But try telling that to the snakes in his stomach. He tossed over again. 

What harm would it do if he wanted the Tick to kiss him, a treacherous little voice inside him said.

He felt himself flush all over again and realised with a creeping horror that... he did want that.

And it was embarrassing that he’d gone on a whole date with a perfectly nice woman who he knew deep down he didn’t have any feelings for only to be confronted face-on with this. He was going to have to talk to her about this at some point. He was going to have to talk to _him_ at some point. 

He heard faint sounds from the living room. Well. No time like the present.

Arthur felt himself get up and move across the room like a much more decisive man than he really was before hesitating at the door. He stared at the knob like it knew something he didn’t. He opened the door. 

“Hey, Tick,” he called softly and heard the heavy answering footfalls of his friend. 

“What’s the matter, Arthur?” the Tick asked him. “Supervillains? Home invaders? Bad dreams?” 

“Nothing’s the matter,” he said. “It’s just-”

“Just what, chum?” the Tick asked. 

“You didn’t kiss me goodnight?” Arthur replied and hated that it came out like a question. 

“Kiss you?” the Tick hadn’t looked so astonished since he’d told him that cats and dogs didn’t like each other. “We’ve never done that.”

“Yeah… if- if- if you want to, I mean,” Arthur said quickly. “You don’t have to, I’m sorry, that was a stupid-”

His mouth was stopped by a pair of warm lips. 

Where he’d felt heavy dread when Veranda kissed him before now he felt like a helium balloon. He drifted up onto his toes and hoped he wouldn’t pop. 

They separated slowly. The Tick’s hand stayed at the small of his back. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

“You’re welcome, Arthur,” the Tick replied at a shockingly low volume. “May I ask… what brought on this new labial dimension to our partnership?” 

Arthur let out a high pitched giggle and dropped his head against the Tick’s chest and stayed there for a few seconds. He felt a hand cradling the back of his head and looked up.

“I just realised… I don’t want to kiss Veranda,” he said. “But I do want to kiss you. And it seemed stupid not to be kissing you once I figured that out.” 

“I see,” the Tick said, antennae bending close towards him. 

“D- do you… how do you feel about that?” he stammered. 

“I feel like you probably shouldn’t go on another date with Paper Queen,” the Tick said very earnestly. Arthur felt panic start to climb his spine. “And I feel… like I would like to kiss you again if that’s okay, fella.” 

“Oh by all means,” Arthur said, lifting himself up on his toes again to close the gap between them. “Kiss me any time you like.”

Two weeks later at his mother’s house, in front of Walter’s book club, he might regret that sentiment. But for now, he sighed in contentment and leaned against his bedroom door.


End file.
